Rural calm all but gone at East Lake

An open letter to Mayor Mertens, ex-Mayor Finnegan and the other Councillors who voted for the Summer Village condo development (the “237”).
I hope you will come to East Lake and experience the results of your vote.
Roaring hammering noise from stone smashing, gravel crushing, and huge earth moving equipment has been raging for seven months now. The beautiful Woodland Echoes property has been replaced by something resembling a W.W.1 battlefield, with columns of smoke from burning brush and many little boxes cheek by jowl. Rural calm is gone.
And perhaps you feel it is fair that East Lake residents should suffer for the good of the County.
But now even the good of the County is hurt as the terrible noise and construction nightmare continues into tourist season. Those traveling to Sandbanks on County Rd. 18 are getting good dose of the chaos, despite the earth mounds developer Chip Hall is putting up to hide this sorry mess. People staying at the cottages and camps on the south side of East Lake have their holiday shattered by stone smashing noise starting at 7:30 AM. Will these visitors return to inject money into our economy?
At hearings on his development, Chip Hall said that his experts knew everything there was to know about the Woodland Echoes property and East Lake. So the blue limestone that he is smashing was no surprise to him. Perhaps he feels that Torontonians, who feel at home in crowded conditions and construction chaos, will be drawn to his tightly packed condos by the noise. Or that present tourism businesses will be wrecked as clients flee the ruined rural peace, so that his new business model will triumph.
So, Councillors who voted for the 237, you should come experience what you did to life on East Lake. It might interest you to know that, when he was asked when this terrible noise would stop, developer Hall blamed Councillors who insisted he follow procedure in getting blasting permits for its continuing into tourist season. Perhaps if you have a look and a listen you will be more insightful when future development plans come for your approval.
Brian Conway
Athol